Washington State University
BUSINESS POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MANUAL

Duplicating and Using Software

Faculty, staff, and students using the University's computer equipment
or placing software on University computer systems must adhere to federal
and state laws governing software duplication and use. Likewise, University
faculty, staff, and students are to observe all contractual and licensing
agreements between the University and software vendors or developers.

University personnel are not to receive, sell, loan, duplicate, download,
or distribute copyrighted software unless authorized to do so under a licensing
agreement.

University employees are to use University software in conformance with
20.37,
"Personal Use of University Resources."

FEDERAL PROTECTION

Unless software has been expressly placed in the public domain, software
is intellectual property protected by federal copyright and trademark law.
As such, unauthorized duplication, downloading, distribution, or use of
copyrighted software constitutes a violation of federal law. Circumventing
copy protection measures is strictly forbidden and is a federal crime.

Civil damages for unauthorized software copying can be $100,000 or more
per program and criminal penalties include fines and imprisonment. Penalties
for trademark infringement can be as much as $100,000 per violation.

LICENSE AGREEMENTS

Buying and using software subjects both the University and the individual
to legal restrictions and obligations. Commercial software is usually protected
by license agreements. These license agreements can be contracts packaged
with the software or agreements residing on the website where the software
is obtained.

Software companies generally require that the purchaser somehow indicate
acceptance of the agreement before he or she may legally use the software.
These agreements are binding contracts and the individual accepting the
terms must have the appropriate authority.

If the software license agreement requires that agreement acceptance
be indicated by a signature of an authorized University official, the department
sends the software license agreement to Purchasing Services, mail code
1020. Purchasing Services secures the appropriate signature and returns
the agreement to the software company. For assistance in determining whether
or not such signature and approval is required, contact Purchasing Services;
telephone 335-3541.

LEGAL DUPLICATION/USE

Software users are to adhere to the software license when using or copying
software. Generally, licensed and/or copyrighted software may not be duplicated,
with the following exceptions:

When copying is required for archival or backup purposes; or

When specifically permitted by the software vendor, e.g., in a license
agreement or an authorizing letter.

Some license agreements have restrictions regarding the type of use,
the number of users that can use the software, the number of installations,
or the number of computers or stations that may access the software.

ACQUIRING ADDITIONAL COPIES

If additional copies or licenses of a licensed and/or copyrighted computer
program are required for University-related purposes (other than backup),
University personnel may either:

Purchase

Purchase the rights to the additional copies through regular purchasing
channels (see 70.24)
or

Request Permission

Request permission from the software developer to duplicate the program.

The request should include the following information:

Title of the program,

Date of first use by the purchasing unit,

Period of intended use,

Proposed use of the copies,

Number of individual users of the software, and

Number of copies required.

Complete three copies of the request. Retain one copy in departmental
files. Send two copies to the software developer.

Retain in departmental files a copy of the signed authorization received
from the software company.

Telephone Approval

If immediate permission is required, it may be possible to secure verbal
approval over the telephone. If verbal approval is granted, immediately
confirm the permission with a follow-up letter to the software developer.
Retain one copy of the letter in departmental files.